loffelhardt



(No Model.) 2 sheets-shet 1.

`W. LOFPELHARDT.

MACHINE EUR EEEDING LETTERS T0 STAMPING DIES. No. 311,340.

Patented Jan. 27, 1885.

Wh/ emrah (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet A W. LOEEELHAEDT.

MACHINE FOR EEEDING LETTERS T0 STAMPING DIES. "1510. 311.340. Patented Jan. 2v, 1885.-

N. PETERS. PhnmLnmgrwmr. washingmn. n. C.

lllnrrnn raras VVILI-IEIJM LOFFELHARDT, OF HAMBU arena? ricrea,

RG, ASSIGNOR TO GEORG HALIJER, OF

OTTENSEN, NEAR HAMBURG, GERMANY.

SPECIFIGAIIN 'forming part of Letters Patent 190.311,340, dated January 27, 1885.

Application'filed September 2T, 1881. (No model.) Patented in and September 14, 180, No. 14,188; in France September 15,

Germany June.2,1ST9, No. 10,511, September 19, 1879, No. 1],58I, 1880, No. 138,710; in Belgium September 16, i880. No.52,581; in

England September 27, 1880,'No. 3,902; in Italy October 1, 1880, and in Austria-Hungary November 22, 1F80.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILHELM -LrrnL- HARDT, residing in Hamburg, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ma- 5 chines for Stamping Letters, (for which patents have been granted to me in Germany on June 8, 1879, September 19, 1.87 9, and September 14, 1880; in France on September1 15, 1880; in Belgium on September 16, 1880; in

rc Great Britain and Ireland on September 27,

1880; in Italy on October 1, 1880, and in Austria-Hungary on November 22, 1880;) and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to a machine by which the stamping of letters, postal cards, &c., at post-offices-. e., the printing of the date and place of reception and delivery thereon, and the canceling of postage-stamps-may be ef- ,23 fected mechanically.

The machine is represented on the annexed two sheets ol" drawings in two different arrangements.

Figure 1 shows the machine of the iirst arrangement in a side elevation. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same from the right-hand side of Fig. l, Fig. 3, a plan with some parts broken away,and Fig. 4 a sectional view of the delivery part of the machine. Fig. .3 reprevsents a machine of the second arrangement in a side elevation. Fig. 6 is an end view thereof from the right-hand side of Fig. 5, while Figs. rZ'and 8 are respectively a plan and a sectional view.

The letters are held upon supporting devices, by which they are maintained within reach of the grasping and carrying mechanism. Said supporting devices may be of the character shown at q and n in the construe- 4o tions illustrated.

In the machine represented by Figs. 1 to 4 the pile ot' letters p rests on a carriage, q, which runs or slides on inclined or vertical ways a, and which is made to ascend slowly .1 5 by hand or by a counterbalance-weight, or

otherwise, so that the letters bear with a gentle pressure against the plate s or other suitable stop. From the said pile p the uppermost letter is drawn forward by one of the transporting-iingers c, made of india-rubber or 5o otliein flexible material, and adapted to act on the letter by friction. These lingers are attached to a pitch-chain, b, ruiming on the ohain-wheels a and a, and instead of a single ringer acting at a time there may be two or more placed alongside of each other and operating together. `It is preferred to arrange the plate s in such a manner that the ngers c will iirst slide along the same, and that only upon slipping ofi` its edge they will grasp the 6o letter.

In front of the pile of letters are placed the disksr, projecting through slits in the plate or table a, and rotating in a direction contrary to the motion of the fingers c. These disks, which are covered with india-rubber or other material adapted to operate by friction, serve to prevent two letters accidentally adhering together from being simultaneously passed through the machine when a finger c acts on 7o the upper one, as in such case the disks will draw the lower letter away from beneath the upper letter and return it to the pile p. By preference three disks r are used, of which two are on either side of the path of the iingers c, whereas the middle one, which is so much smaller than the others as barely to project from the table a, is in the path ofthe iingers. When the letter which is being drawn forward by the operating-Hilger approaches the 8o stamping device, it meets the two springing arms 7a, one on either side of the path of the lingers c, and attached to the lever or fixed on the axle oi' the same, this lever being depressed before the arrival of any letter by one 8 5 of the cams 71., so that the arms k bear against the roller Z. Thelcttcr being stopped in its motion by the said arms is at the saine time pushed square to the machine, in caseit should bc in an oblique position. This stoppage and 9o adjustment are facilitated by the inclination which has been given to the table a in respect to the chain b, as the pressure of the operating-finger on the letter is thereby caused to be but very slight when the letter is at the end of the table. The letter being in this position is simultaneously acted upon by either of the india-rubber segments e', fixed on the disk e, and by the corresponding stamping-die, d, attached to the disk (Z, and is drawn forward between them and the counter-pressure roller Z. During such passage the letter is stamped, and when the rear edge of the segment e leaves the roller Z the letter drops from the machine into a box placed underneath. Before the segment and the die begin to operate on the letter, the cam h must have released the lever Z, which is thereupon raised, together with the arms 7c, by the spring Z', (which maybe of any suitable form or construction so that the said arms do not any lnore cause an obstruction to the passage of the letter. m is a brush serving to keep the roller Z clean.

The machine as represented in the drawings is arranged to be rotated by hand. The disk cZ, carrying the stamping-dies, the driving chain-wheel a, and the disk e, bearing'the segments c', are keyed on the fiy-wheel shaft, while motion is transmit-ted from the same shaft to the disks r by the pulleysf and f', over which a cord runs, and to the'counterpressure roller Z by the friction-disks g and g. The various shafts are all shown as rotating in fixed bearings; but it is preferable to make the bearings of the chain-wheel a adjustable horizontally, so that the chain b may always be properly stretched again when it becomes slack from the wear of the pins and pin-holes. rIhe dies d are inked by means of an inkingroller, o, which may consist of a hollow cylinder perforated on its periphery and covered with cloth or felt, this covering being adapted to imbibe the ink put into the cylinder, and to transfer it to the die when the latter passes the roller and comes in contact with it.

In the modified arrangement of the machine represented by Figs. 5 to 8 the chain b, the chain-wheel a, the lever Z, and the cams h are omitted, while the fingers c are fixed to the wheel a corresponding to the chain-wheel a in Figs. l to 4. The ways on which the carriage q runs and the disks i are placed as close to the stamping device, &c., as the shaft y t permits, and instead of a single long counter-pressure roller Z there are on this shaft two disks Z, which are respectively opposite to the course of the stamping-dies cZ and of the segments c', and which leave the necessary space between them for the disks r to project into. In all other respects the machine agrees in its construction with the first arrangement.

In both machines the parts carrying the stamping-dies, the fingers c, and the segments e', and also the disks r, have been arranged on one side, so that small letters as well as large ones maybe brought properly under the action of the operating parts, provided only that all letters in the pile p be madeeven with each other on their right-hand edge, and that they be pushed with their top edge against the ways on which the carriage g runs.

I do not claim, broadly, an intermittentlyoperating feed device having a portion of its periphery clothed with a friction material. My claim in this respect is directed to the particular instrumentalities-viz., the elastic and yielding and traveling fingers c shown in the drawings. The devices are more effective than others heretofore used for the purpose, so far as I know. They have considerable capacity for yielding, and at the same time maintain a firm, sure hold on the letter, acting, in a measure, like the fingers of the hand.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination, with the dies d and the letter-supporting devices, substantially as described, of the chain-carrier provided with fingers c, adapted to hold the letter against said supports and to transport it, substantially as hereinbefore described.

2. rIhe combination, with the dies d', the letter-supporting devices, substantially as described,.and the transporting-fingers c, of the guard s, arranged between said supports and the path of the ngers, whereby the time and point of contact of said ngers with the letter are made uniform,substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

3. The combination of the dies d', the letter-supporting devices, the iieXible transporting-fingers c, andthe supporting and carrying devices for said fingers, the fingers being mounted on said carrying devices in a position substantially at right angles to their lines of travel,and being of a length greater than the distance between said carrier and the table a, and of less thickness at their operative extremity than at their base, whereby said eX- tremity is adapted to be bent over abruptly when in contact with the letter, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

4. The combination, with the dies VcZ', of the chain-carrier provided with lingers c and the opposing inclined table a, whereby the letter may be held with a relaxed grasp as it reaches the gage which adjusts it for the stamping operation, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

5. The combination, with the rotating dies cZ, a roller or disk, Z, and the transportingfingers c, of the disks o', covered with indiarubber or other similar material, and rotating contrary to the direction in which the letters are moved by the fingers c, substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. The combination, with the rotating dies d', the roller or disk Z, fingers c, and disk e, with segments e, of the lever t', operated upon by the cams ZL, and provided with springing arms 7c and s rinoi as hereinbefores ieciied,

and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

wILH. LFFELHARDT.

IVitnes'ses:

HENRY SPRINGMANN, BERTHOLD R01.

ICO

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